Friday, June 29, 2007

Lately it's been my nightly ritual. After the kids go to bed I pop in a Gilmore Girls DVD and stitch until I can't stitch anymore. Or until I make myself go to bed. I really can't stay up until 12:30 anymore. It's too hard to get up in the morning! Here's my progress from last night.

I decided to go back to my old template. I just couldn't get the new one the way I wanted it. I'm going to stick with the bigger pictures though. Dh comes home tonight! I'm so glad - he can get up with Matthew in the middle of the night! :)

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Well, I decided to neglect the rotation for one more day. I got a start on house #2 yesterday. I would've got more done, but I realized I used the wrong green for the grassy area.

House #2 as of 6/26/07.

Both blocks together.

Threads for House #2.

Aren't those threads pretty? Not very springy, or summery now, but I like them. Well, one thing about my dh being away is I'm getting a lot more stitching done. :) But now I'd better get some work done! Write later! :)

When I went to get the silks on Friday I noticed they had these cool scissor fobs. They had lobster clasps on both ends, which I thought would be perfect to put my threader on the other end. I looked at the price tag - $54!! I put the fob down and decided to stop by Michael's to get some supplies to make my own.

They work great! I'm so happy with how they turned out. I gave the turquoise one to my exchange partner. Hopefully she'll like it. Anyway, they are handy because I'm always losing my threader along with my scissors! :) I got just a tiny bit done on HoHRH last night and today.

I'm so close to finishing the house! The color for the roof on the chart is green and I didn't think that was right, so I went to the CHS site and saw there was pattern corrections. Sure enough it was supposed to be gray. The grass under the house is wrong too. It's supposed to be a lighter green around the darker green leaves. I'm not going to rip it all out though!

I got my Fabric of the Month from Shakespeares Peddler today. It's 40 ct. Luna, which is so pretty!

Well, I've been playing around with my template. I'm Trying to decide whether I like small or big pictures in my posts. What do you all think?? Write later! :)

Sunday, June 24, 2007

I wish I could say I resisted the silks for Bellemeade, but it was all I could think about. And my mom, my worst enabler, told me I should just get them because I wouldn't stop thinking about them until I did. Of course she was right! What's wrong with me that I can't resist a few silk threads?? This is what's wrong with me...

Pretty hard to resist, huh? I had to order a few spools that they didn't have because of course I couldn't wait for the thread pack to come out. I swear, I'm nuts!!

Anyway, I had a nice weekend with dh. We went up to his mom's on Saturday. I stopped at Nantz's Needlework and dropped off my package for my partner and picked up the one waiting for me...

Drawn Thread "For the Birds" and "Spot of Summer" with two NPI silks.

I had a gift certificate and a 10% off coupon from last month, so I got a couple things with them...

Drawn Thread Alpine Sampler with Smokey Pearl Belfast Linen.

I also picked up a grab bag of fabric for only $2, and a Prairie Schooler pattern...

Prairie Schooler D*E*F

So dh has left again and I'm a little down again, but I am doing much, much better than last week. I'm actually looking forward to getting some more stitching done on HoHRH.

I was so excited the girl from the Japanese blog left a comment and said that she is using 36 ct. Pearled Barley with two strands of DMC. Don't you just love our international stitching community? We all share a bond no matter where we are from! Well, that's all for now! Write later! :)

Friday, June 22, 2007

I got a little more stitched last night while watching the first season of the Gilmore Girls. I never really watched the show, but liked what I saw when I did see it. So I've decided to start from the beginning. I'm ready for disk two, but have to wait for Blockbuster to send it to me.

Ginger - I love the quote. I think I am going to stay with the DMC. I may start with the little needlebook that way I'll know if I'm going to like it.

Katrina - There is a conversion for DMC and Anchor threads.

Well, not much going on today - I'm meeting a friend for lunch today and then I need to clean! Fun, fun! Write later!

Thursday, June 21, 2007

I Stopped by my LNS today (Silk Road Needlearts) after I dropped off my niece. They had the new Just Nan in. I think it's so pretty. The owner said that he should be getting the silks and fabric soon. When I got home I looked on the Silver Needle website and the thread pack is $117.50 and the fabric is about $13! I was thinking I could save over $130 if I just used the DMC and fabric I have at home. My problem is I'm a silk addict! Must resist the silk! :) Well, I'm doing much better today - no tears! Thank you all again for all your support!

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Thank you all so much for your kind words of encouragement. You have no idea how much they mean to me! I printed out your comments so I can read them over again when I start to feel down. It's so funny because I feel like I'm a very strong person. But I've just been a weepy mess for the last few days. I think it's worse at night. He worked nights and I'd wait up for him and listen for the sound of the gate opening. Well, I catch myself still listening. And I mean I really need to put things in perspective here. There are so many soldiers who are fighting in Iraq, who are losing their lives everyday. Wives are losing their husbands. I'm not losing my husband, he's just in another state. He'll be home this weekend. I guess I just had no idea it would be this hard. I'm doing better each day though. It will be worth it in the long run.

Ok, enough about that! I am grateful to have my stitching. Man if I didn't have a hobby I think I would go nuts!! I decided to get my Houses of Hawk Run Hollow back out after finding this blog - Ribbip Ribbip.

I started HoHRH three years ago after it first came out. I started it on 36 ct. Pearled Barley using two strands of DMC. I regreted doing that so I put it away for awhile. While browsing her blog I noticed she was using DMC and it looked like two strands and I really liked the way it was turning out. So I got mine back out and I'm enjoying it again! I'm not 100% positive that she's using 36 ct., but it looks like it. I tried to comment to ask, but I'm not a member and didn't have a password.

So anyway, that's what I've been doing today. Thank you all again! I'm so glad I have such wonderful stitching friends! Write later!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Just a quick post to share a little finish. I started this last Friday while waiting for my oil to be changed and decided to finish it up tonight. I'm still a little down, so I haven't felt like stitching too much. My hubby should be coming home this weekend though. I knew I was going to miss him and that it would be hard, but I didn't realize how hard it would be. Hopefully it will get better. Although right now I'm ready for him to quit and come home! But I know that's not possible and I know it really will be better in the long run for our family. I just need to get used to the separation. We keep saying one day we'll look back and laugh - I can't wait for that day to come! Write later!

Monday, June 18, 2007

I'm trying to get back to normal after being away for the weekend. My mom is sick, so I'm watching my niece and the boys. I must be doing pretty well because both babies are sleeping. :)

Anyway, Friday we dropped two out of three boys at my MIL's house and we drove up to Jacksonville. I got up early Sat. and went to a couple shops in the area. The first one Olde Green Cupboard was very cute. It was mostly quilting, but they had a small section of cross stitch. Most of the charts were Blackbird Designs and Carriage House Samplings. I found one Goode Huswife that I didn't have "Fruitful Clusters" and some fabric for my mom and I.

After that I went to A Stitch in Time. It was a pretty nice shop. They had yarn, needlepoint and cross stitch. I didn't see anything that I couldn't live without, so I left without buying anything. I went back to our room and my dh saw online that a Hooters near us was showing the UFC fight and he had to go! So we went there for lunch. We didn't stay for all the fights (thankfully). After that I told him I wanted to do a little sight seeing. So we headed down to St. Augustine. It's very pretty, but a little too touristy for us. We liked the fort, but unfortunately it was closed. I figured we could go next time we're in the area.

Castillo de San Marcos

After St. Augustine we decided to put our feet in the ocean for a bit. What a difference the Atlantic is from the Gulf of Mexico where we are the waves. The waves are huge and you could hear them crashing from much further away.

The next day we went to Starbucks and headed our separate ways. I was very sad to see him go and a little sad last night, but I am also happy for him and the opportunity he's been given. He seemed to be doing pretty well when I talked to him today. He's probably already met ten friends (he makes friends so fast)! On my way home I stopped at a couple more places. The first was Brick City Stitch in Ocala. It was a pretty nice shop. She was having a little sale - some charts on a table were 50% off, so I got a couple of those. My only problem was her threads were kind of high - $3 for weeks and $2.75 for Sampler Threads and Crescent Colours. I did get a few of them, but I probably wouldn't again. Here's what I got...

And my next stop was the Russell Stover Outlet. I had to see if they had any Whitman's tins and they did! Cases and cases of them! So I got three cases of these ..

I was going to put some of them on ebay, but I thought I'd offer them to my stitching friends first! I was planning on selling them for $3 plus $1 shipping for each tin (got to thinking and $3 seemed a much better price). Just email me if you're interested! :)

My last little bit of news is Kathy Barrick-Dieter from Carriage House Samplings received my stitching and sent me some charts. Well, not just some charts... she sent me ALL of the charts I had on my wish list! I couldn't believe it! I told her just one or two charts would be fine. I was just amazed when I got the package today.

Well, I think I've said it all! Sorry for such a long post! Write later! :)

Thursday, June 14, 2007

I decided to get back to my rotation. I got a little side tracked with "Faith." I worked on Pomegranate Sampler last night. I finished up the right side border, which was my goal for this month. Hey, maybe I'll get it finished up soon?? :) I loved working on the 36 ct. It was such a nice break from the 40 ct.

This fabric is 36 ct. Park City Blend by R&R. Today I'm going to work on Sunflower Bellpull. I'm hoping to get the two sunflowers stitched next to the house. Well, I caught some kind of stomach bug again. I just hope I'm doing better by tomorrow. I don't want to miss my trip! Write later! :)

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

I finished up the Little House Needleworks thread pack "Faith" yesterday. I couldn't resist starting it the other day. I just love the colors in this one!

The fabric is the 40 ct. Navy Bean that I got the other day. For some reason I was having such a difficult time with the border. It was driving me nuts! So I think I'm sticking to 32 and 36 ct. for awhile. Give my eyes a little break! Well, not much else going on here. My dh and I went to a Devil Rays game for our 14th Anniversary yesterday. And this weekend we are escaping and going up to Jacksonville/St. Augustine to spend some time together before he has to start training on Monday. They just called and told him he won't be in Albany, GA after his training he will now be in Charleston, SC. It's a little further away, but a much better place to be.

Well, I'd better go - we are going out with the in-laws to celebrate Father's Day early. Write later! :) Thank you again to everyone for your very kind comments!!

Saturday, June 09, 2007

It's so nice to have someone justify your craziness! Only another stitcher would understand. If I told my husband that I just couldn't complete a project because I started on the horizontal he would look at me like I'd grown two heads. Not to mention all the money spent on a huge project that when I started to stitch it, it gave me heart palpitations. Only another stitcher would understand.

Anyway, I did get "My Earth" out last night and it felt so right - no palpitations! :) I finished up one band under the sheep and started on a floral band under that. I realized though that I was using the wrong color thread for the vines. It's supposed to be Deep Green and I was using the same thread as the leaves. I don't think I'm going to rip it out. It gives it a little more subtle look - what do you all think? The deep green is stitched in the flowers above the grass by the pudgie.

I may work on it a little more tonight and then start on my June Flip-it Bit.

Bradley ended up having a very nice birthday - he's in there playing with this huge nerf dart gun thing my mom got him and loving every minute of it! :) Thank you all again for being so supportive and understanding! I appreciate you all!

Friday, June 08, 2007

It was kind of an impulse thing. I bought "And They Sinned." And I actually thought that I would have the patience right now to stitch such an large (large being an understatement) project. I got it out because Friday is my night to stitch ATS. Actually I avoided stitching it by browsing the web and ebay for out of print patterns. When I finally did get around to stitching it - I started going out of my mind. My heart started pounding. How in the world am I going to finish this border much less stitch anything else on it. I just packed it up and put it away. I'm not getting rid of it - I think I would regret it. So it's just going away for now. I may in the future cut some of the sides down to put it in a smaller scroll frame. But that future may be when all the kids are out of the house. LOL! :)

Well, I'm so sorry to ladies I was going to be SALing with - Becky and Cathy. I will be cheering you both on when you do start! In it's place I'm going to try to finish up Shepherd's Bush My Earth. A much more manageable project. I feel better already. Write later! :)

I worked on Drawn Thread's Sunflower Bellpull a little last night. I stitched most of the house in the middle of the pattern. I'm so glad I'm back to my rotation. I missed this project and I think I can finish it fairly soon if I stick to it. I think it definitely helps me to have goals.

I decided to take my Game Board Sampler out of my rotation. In fact I'm not sure if I'm going to stitch on it anymore. My reason is a little nutty, but it was driving me crazy! I started on the horizontal thread. I never do that, I always start on the vertical and everytime I stitched it - it drove me nuts! I don't know why I didn't fix it ages ago. The only thing I can think of is it was one of my first projects after not stitching for almost two years. So I may restart it one of these days, but I don't think anytime soon, it's just too frustrating!

Well, not much else going on here really. My brother (who is also my boss) went to Vegas for the weekend, so I'm kind of on a mini-vacation too. I'm sure when he gets back I'll have a ton to do, so for now I'm going to enjoy it! Write later! :)

P.S. If anyone wants my Sampler Gameboard UFO (stitched fabric only) and doesn't mind that it's on the horizontal you are more than welcome to it! Just email me and it's yours! Found a good home - thanks Peg! :)

I was thinking yesterday that I really must cut off the bottom part of my old VoHRH to use the linen for something else. I originally had started it on Light Examplar (don't know what I was thinking). I finally came to my senses and realized it was too light. Then I remembered Kathy Barrick-Dieter from Carriage House Samplings posted that she needed cross stitch "dead or alive" to cut up and make pendants and I thought maybe she'd like my old VoHRH that I was just going throw in a box or something, so I emailed her and she said she would like and would pay me for it in cash or charts. Of course I chose charts! Have you seen my wish list! :) So I thought that was pretty cool. It will be neat to see my stitching in her pendants. Maybe I'll buy one to get a little piece of my stitching back.

Anyway, that's all I've been up to! We are going to be getting ready for Bradley's 7th birthday party! It seems like just yesterday I was driving to the hospital to have him! Time flies! :)

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Thank you to everyone who wished me well. That was so kind of you! Well, I finally got up the energy to open my box! :)

Just a boring brown box on the outside.

It's getting a little better!

Pretty Pink Paper!

Hillside Samplings "Folk Art Sewing Roll."

Hillside Samplings "Alphabet Needlebook."

"Miss Kitty's Dragon's" Finishing Kit.

Yep, that definitely perked me up some! Now, if I could only get some stitching done in this house - that would really make me happy! I'm so glad to be over the bug. Now I don't have to anticipate getting it anymore and hopefully we're not all sick like that for a long, long time! Thanks again everyone! Write later!

P.S. I was browsing around etsy and came across these really cute sewing sets. I'm very tempted to get one! :)

Monday, June 04, 2007

I got the bug yesterday. I'm doing better now, just tired. This is what I wrote before I got sick...

>>This is going to be a short post. My mom and my dh now have the stomach bug. I have this sinking feeling that I'm next. It's awful and doesn't care if you are a baby, or a little boy, or a grandma, who needs to take care of her grandchild, or a policeman, who needs to go on duty, it just doesn't care. And I'm sure it won't care that I'm a mother who needs to take of her three children and a stitcher that has projects she'd like to be stitching. So I'm going to rest and hopefully I'm being dramatic and it won't get me. I'm hoping against hope!<<

Well, the hope didn't work, but I survived. We all survived! :) I won't say who was the one crying on the bathroom floor (it wasn't me). Well, I'm just resting now, and hopefully I'll be back to normal soon! I got a package from Silver Needle today that's bound to perk me up. When I open it I'll take a picture. :)

I got some charts from a trade I did through my new trade blog. They are three Little House Needleworks Dear Diary charts: Abigail Winslow, Rebecca Small, and Emmaline Whitcomb. Too cute! Thank you again Kristin for the great trade! :)

Well, Matthew is still not feeling too well. I gave him Pedialite in his bottle tonight. I'm hoping that will help him. He's also cutting a tooth on top and I'm sure that's not making him feel any better. :( He did feel well enough to get into a little mischief today. Click on the picture below for the whole story.

Friday, June 01, 2007

I started "And They Sinned" by Examplar Dames yesterday. I was just going to get on a scroll frame to get ready for the SAL to start today, but I couldn't resist putting a few stitches in!

"And They Sinned" Stitched on 40 ct. Elegant Bean using GAST.

There's not too much to see. I started at the bottom, which is where I normally start my projects. I just started working on the border. I ended up putting the frame on an old lap stand I had. We'll see how that works out. I'm used to working in hand or on smaller frames. I have a feeling this will be slow going! It may take me the rest of my life, but I will persevere! :)

I got a little stash the other day that I thought I'd share. I've been watching Gill's (Chewed Away) progress on her AMAP Reves de Brodeuse. It's so pretty and I just couldn't resist ordering it and another pattern. It was my first time ordering anything overseas and I couldn't believe how fast it got here - just four days!

A Mon Ami Pierre - "Reves de Brodeuse," "Porte Aiguille Angelots" and a very pretty freebie that was included.

I also got one of the latest Little House Needleworks/Crescent Colours thread packs from Handcrafts Online. I didn't get the pineapples because I'm just not a pineapple person, so I got "Faith," which I think is very pretty. I also got the finishing kit. Mary Kathryn always picks out the prettiest fabric!

LHN/CC "Faith" with finishing kit.

And last but not least I signed up for Shakespeare's Peddlers Fabric of the Month Club. I asked for fat 1/8, 40 ct, which I may change because I may be going blind soon from stitching ATS on 40 ct! It's only $10 for a fat 1/8, which is a pretty good deal I thought! :)

This last month's was Navy Bean, which looks totally different from the Navy bean I'm using now. I guess that's a good thing, so I don't have two of the same, it's just crazy how much the dyelots vary. I still love LL linens though - they are definitely my favorite!

Well, unfortunately Matthew caught the bug today. It's so strange how Bradley was sick on Friday two weeks ago and then Jake last Thursday and now Matthew this Friday. Please don't let me be next Friday! Bradley is having a birthday party the Saturday after! The poor little guy though, he doesn't know what's going on and he's being so brave. I did end up catching a cold somehow. I can live with a cold, I'm just a big baby when it comes to the stomach flu. Matthew is finally asleep, so I'm going to try to get some rest too! Write later!